Ferries from UK banned from sailing to Netherlands: Reports

Ferry lines which transport passengers from the United Kingdom across the North Sea to the Netherlands will not be permitted from Monday as the Dutch government attempts to prevent a highly-contagious variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus from spreading through the Dutch population. After a considerable rise in infections in the UK, many parts of that country went back into a strict lockdown over the weekend.

At the very start of Sunday, Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jonge sent a letter to Parliament announcing that the Netherlands banned passenger flights from the UK effective immediately, and for an initial duration of about ten days. Belgium followed suit with a ban that included trains, meaning Eurostar rail service from the UK could no longer reach the Netherlands.

Rumors began to surface in Dutch media Sunday night that the Cabinet would extend its ban to include the ferry services, like DFDS Seaways, P&O Ferries, and Stena Line. For some, the ferries were the last feasible chance for residents of the Netherlands to make it back before Christmas, New Year's Eve, or possibly longer if the travel ban is extended. A formal ban would mean a car in the Channel Tunnel is the only way to travel from the UK to the Dutch border

DFDS Seaways cancelled its Sunday evening ferry service blaming restrictions from the Dutch government. It told the Noordhollands Dagblad that 160 of its passengers were stranded as a result, including Dutch people who wanted to return to the Netherlands. "Further information on future sailings will be provided as soon as possible," the company said on social media.

"The authorities in Rotterdam have confirmed that regretfully all customers travelling from the UK (other than freight) will not be permitted to enter the Netherlands," P&O Ferries stated.

Stena Line said in a statement Sunday night, "Due to the travel restrictions announced by the Dutch government, we are not permitted to allow any travel passengers to sail with us from Harwich to Hoek van Holland until further notice."

As of 10 p.m., no formal statement was issued by the Dutch government about extending the travel ban to ferries and trains, nor was an updated letter from De Jonge published online by the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch Parliament. Cargo traffic was exempt from the flight ban, and was likely to be exempted from any extension of the ban.